1 Samuel 12:3 nasb — "Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I tak…

NASB

""Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.""

— 1 Samuel 12:3, NASB

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1 Samuel 12:3 in Other Translations

7 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.”

  • ASV

    “Here I am: witness against me before Jehovah, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. ”

  • WEB

    “Here I am. Witness against me before Yahweh, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind my eyes therewith? I will restore it to you."”

  • NET

    “Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the LORD and before his chosen king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, and I will return it to you!””

  • DRB

    “Speak of me before the Lord, and before his anointed, whether I have taken any man's ox, or ass: if I have wronged any man, if I have oppressed any man, if I have taken a bribe at any man's hand: and I will despise it this day, and will restore it to you.”

  • BBE

    “Here I am: give witness against me before the Lord and before the man on whom he has put the holy oil: whose ox or ass have I taken? to whom have I been untrue? who has been crushed down by me? from whose hand have I taken a price for the blinding of my eyes? I will give it all back to you.”

  • KJVA

    “Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.”

1 Samuel 12 — Context

1

Then Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and I have appointed a king over you.

2

"Now, here is the king walking before you, but I am old and gray, and behold my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my youth even to this day.

3

"Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you."

4

They said, "You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand."

5

He said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand." And they said, "He is witness."

6

Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.

1 Samuel 12:3 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does 1 Samuel 12:3 say?
1 Samuel 12:3 in the NASB reads: “"Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you."”
Where is 1 Samuel 12:3 in the Bible?
1 Samuel 12:3 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 12, verse 3.
Who wrote 1 Samuel?
1 Samuel is traditionally attributed to Anonymous (traditionally Samuel, Nathan, and Gad). It was written c. 930–722 BC.
What is the book of 1 Samuel about?
1 Samuel marks Israel's transition from judges to kings. It traces the births and ministries of the prophet Samuel, the rise and tragic fall of Saul as Israel's first king, and the anointing of the shepherd boy David, whose faith makes him a man after God's own heart.
What are the major themes of 1 Samuel?
1 Samuel explores themes including Kingship, Prophet, Faith vs. Fear, God's Sovereign Choice, Anointing. These themes shape the meaning and context of 1 Samuel 12:3.
What translation should I read 1 Samuel 12:3 in?
1 Samuel 12:3 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize 1 Samuel 12:3?
1 Samuel 12:3 reads (NASB): “"Here I am; bear witness against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you."” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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